Race for Tony Cardenas' Los Angeles 6th District Council seat draws six candidates

Six candidates are vying to succeed City Councilman Tony Cardenas in the mid-San Fernando Valley's 6th Council District in the May 21 special election, with the campaign centering around issues like quality of life, crime and lack of city services.

There are two years left for the seat, which opened after Cardenas was elected to Congress.

Two of the most experienced candidates with the most fundraising progress are Nury Martinez, a board member for the Los Angeles Unified School District, and former Assemblywoman Cindy Montanez.

Montanez and Martinez took similar paths in elective office, moving from the San Fernando City Council to the city of Los Angeles where both found electoral success in higher profile offices.

To be elected, a candidate will need a majority of the vote or face a July 23 runoff between the top two candidates.

Martinez has raised more than $121,000 for the campaign while Montanez has topped $107,000.

Also in the race are student Walter Escobar, businessman Richard Valdez, senior government adviser Derek Waleko and community activist/businessman J. Roy Garcia each of whom bring passionate feelings about what is needed in the district.

Martinez, 40, who has been on the school board for four years, said she decided to give up her seat to run for the City Council because of the needs she sees in the community.

"Improving schools is one thing, but you also need to look at the communities and what can be done to improve them," Martinez said, noting complaints about prostitution and gangs that have hit her Sun Valley neighborhood

"I host Neighborhood Watch meetings in my house. I want to be able to allow my 4-year-old daughter to play in our front yard," Martinez said.

She has been an activist since her high school days, joining in rallies to keep open the Price Pfitzer plant where her mother worked. Later, she would work on a number of campaigns until she decided to run for the San Fernando City Council.

When she was seven months pregnant, she was recruited to run for the Los Angeles Board of Education.

Martinez said the district is in need of basic services, but also should be able to do more in terms of economic development.

"We have more open land that can be developed in the district than anywhere else in the city," Martinez said.

Montanez, 39, has been an assistant general manager at the Department of Water and Power since leaving the Assembly. Prior to winning her Assembly seat, she served on the San Fernando City Council, including a term as mayor.

She had planned to run for the Los Angeles City Council in 2005. But, when then-Assemblyman Richard Alarcon gave up his seat to run for the City Council, she decided against opposing him.

"I find people still remember me from my days on the San Fernando Council and say they loved what I did as mayor," Montanez said. "Other people remember me from the Assembly and thank me for what I was able to do for them. That's why I want to be on the Los Angeles City Council.

"I have been getting an incredible amount of public support and that will make the difference. "

Montanez noted all the endorsements that Martinez is receiving from other elected officials.

"I know it's odd to say but I am the outsider in this race," Montanez said. "I will have to rely on the grass roots to win this. "

Montanez and the others noted there has been a growing criminal problem in the district.

"The biggest complaint I hear is about the problems with prostitutes and gangs taking over the parks. This is a district that has been neglected for some time and that's the issue I'm running on. "

Escobar, 23, is a student seeking his second master's degree in aeronautical science from Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University.

Like the others, he believes the district has been neglected in terms of services from the city.

"I decided to jump in to try to actually change things," Escobar said. "It seems like in the past, nothing seems to change. We have a lot of prostitution and gangs and graffiti. It's maddening because the police don't seem to be able to do anything about it.

"And, all we hear is that the City Council wants to cut the budget. They should look at making cuts from the top down instead of cutting people who do the work.

Escobar said he has no plans to raise any money for the race.

Garcia, 58, who emigrated from El Salvador and has his own business, ran against Cardenas years ago and was part of the San Fernando Valley secession movement.

In addition to the crime and quality of life issues, Garcia said he also wanted to work on issues to improve the economy.

"I want to represent people like me who are working class," Garcia said. "What I tell people is that if (Martinez or Montanez) win, it will just be the same old thing. "

Dan Stroncak, 49, is a screenwriter who moved to Van Nuys two years ago and became involved in the local neighborhood watch program.

"I was shocked at the level of criminal activity going on," Stroncak said. "Every morning, I found myself removing the remnants of what the prostitutes left behind.

Stroncak is a Republican, but he said the issues he is concerned with go beyond political party.

"I've been walking door to door and very few people ask about that," Stroncak said. "We are in a circumstance with our neighbors that we all agree on the issues. It has been one thing after another and it's not an issue of political party. "

Stroncak said he is also concerned the district is being ignored by the city.

"I go into Studio City and see what they have there and I don't know why we don't have the same services in Van Nuys, Panorama City or Arleta. It is all about the quality of life. "

Waleko, 31, who has raised more than $34,000 for the race, moved to Van Nuys after working in South Korea on international trade deals.

As part of his campaign, he has wrapped a bus that he drives around the district with campaign literature and encourages people to sign it and tell what they want from the city.

"I'm running to improve the district, my community and my home," Waleko said. "We need to deal with the quality of life issues and the increasing crime, but I think I can also bring experience on international trade to the city.

"We need to find the international investors to let them know what is here and what they could do in terms of business. "

Valdez, 44, a mortgage broker who lives in North Hollywood, agreed that services to the district need to be improved.

"We aren't getting the same level of service as other districts," Valdez said. "I was disappointed in the performance of (Cardenas) and don't see how it will change if either the two (Martinez and Montanez) are elected.

"In the last 10 years there has not been any communication with residents or an effort to find out their concerns. If I'm elected, I will have at least two town hall meetings a month and have staff go to neighborhood council meetings to listen to the concerns people have. "